A Father's Love
by Hopeakaarme
Summary: Complete. Another Severitus response. Remus thought he'd lost his and Severus's child until Dumbledore sends them to check on the fiveyearold Harry. Only that it's not really Harry. SLASH RLSS
1. Surprising Sight

Disclaimer: I don't own... much.

A/N: Yeah, yet another Severitus from me. This is going to be pretty short, though.

This one is going to go more along the rules of the challenges than _Like Father, Like Son_ and _Fathers and Sons_... Although I do suspect this is going to be the most unusual of them all.

Oh, and WARNING: SLASH RL/SS.

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A Father's Love

The Surprising Sight

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As soon as Remus closed his eyes that night, he knew that he would have a dream. Mentally bracing himself for what was surely coming, he snuggled up to his husband, feeling the warmth of slim, yet strong arms wrapping around him.

And truly, when he finally allowed himself to slip into the land of dreams, he saw a wholly another sight than the one he'd just closed his eyes from. A little boy with chin-length, golden hair was sitting in the corner of a small cupboard. "And don't expect to get out before tomorrow," bellowed a harsh voice through the door. The boy trembled slightly, hugging his knees tightly, his black eyes full of tears, a dark, large bruise covering the left side of his face.

"Jeremy?" asked Remus quietly, watching in confusion the little boy in front of him. The boy was familiar to him; the scene, however, wasn't that. Usually, he saw the boy in happy situations - swinging outside in sunlight, eating an icecream in a park, playing with other children. This was not normal, not in any way.

Like always, the boy raised his head as if he'd heard his call. However, this time, his words were clearer -- usually, Remus only heard something like a whisper, like a ghost of real words. "Dad," he whispered quietly. "Dad, come and take me away from here."

"Jeremy..." sighed the werewolf again, kneeling next to the boy in the tiny cupboard. He placed his arms around the boy in a comforting hug, even though he knew it wouldn't be of any use. Just as useless and hollow he knew to be his comforting words, as those would not become true anyway, but he said them anyway. "I'll get you away, as soon as I find a way to do that. I promise, Jeremy. I won't leave you alone here in this horrible place." The boy didn't hear his words this time and just continued his weeping. Remus cried, too, hugging the boy in a meaningless gesture that didn't quite give comfort to either of them.

And then, like always, just as he was getting the tears under control, he felt like somebody was tugging at him. The cupboard and the boy faded away; it didn't matter how tightly Remus tried to grasp them, bring them back to himself, they always disappeared.

Then, he awoke with a scream, sitting on his bed, covered with cold sweat. In an instant there was a soothing hand calming him down, sweet little things being whispered into his ear.

At last, his companion considered him calm enough to answer some questions. "Was it again a dream?" asked Severus gently, drawing little circles to Remus's bare back. "About - about Jeremy?"

"Y-yes," the werewolf whispered. "But it wasn't like usually - he was being treated badly, very badly. They locked him in a cupboard, Severus, they yelled at him through the door... It was horrible!"

A worried frown appeared on Severus's usually calm face. "Really?" he asked. "D'you think that means anything, the difference from the usual dreams, I mean?"

"I - I wouldn't know," Remus said, swallowing back tears. "But - today would have been his fourth birthday if he -- if he had lived." And with that, he broke into helpless weeping, only the strong arms of his husband steadying him.

Jeremy was the most tragic event in their complicated relationship. Four years before, they hadn't been together, as Remus had thought that Severus was a Death Eater -- what he was, but only as a spy for the Light Side -- and Severus had thought that Remus was a Death Eater, what he wasn't. Unfortunately, Remus hadn't been wholly alone -- he'd been pregnant to Severus. The baby boy, whom he'd already named Jeremy, had been stillborn. To make it even worse, a mere day later the Potters had got little Harry, never knowing that it hurt Remus extremely badly, as he'd done his best to keep his pregnancy in secret.

Seeing that it was really difficult to Remus to deal with life alone, Dumbledore had contacted Severus, insisting that they should fix their relationship. They had indeed got back together, but the memory of Jeremy, their lost child, was all the time haunting them both. To make it even worse, Remus, who -- like all werewolves -- had a little talent for Seeing, constantly had dreams about what Jeremy's life would have been, if he only had been given a possibility to live. Almost every night he had dreams of little Jeremy in his arms, playing with his friends, reading colourful children's books, laughing and being happy and _alive_. And almost every night he woke up sobbing, mourning what they'd lost, and Severus simply held him until he calmed down enough to go back to sleep.

This time, however, Remus could not calm down. He simply couldn't go back to sleep, not after what he'd seen in his dreams. He couldn't understand why it was so. Every time he'd seen Jeremy only happy and well, like he'd been if they had had a change to raise their child. This time it hadn't been so. Jeremy had been neglected and abused, that much was clear -- but by whom? The voice that had yelled through the door had not been familiar to him -- in fact, it _had_ been familiar, but he couldn't tell exactly from where -- so who could it be? And what did the dream mean?

Something was wrong, he knew that. A voice deep inside his mind told him also that something was wrong with Jeremy, but that was just insane. There wasn't Jeremy, not anymore, not anywhere else but in his dreams and thoughts.

...But he had seen someone, hadn't he? And if it hadn't been Jeremy, then _who_ had it been?

* * *

Next chapter:

Dumbledore calls for our boys.


	2. A Visit to the Dursleys

Disclaimer: They're not mine.

A/N: So, here's more of my latest Severitus. Yeah, some of you noticed the suspicious part. Now prepare for something more...

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A Father's Love

A Visit to the Dursleys

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"What it is you wanted to see us for, Albus?" asked Severus. Even though he of course wouldn't show it, he was a bit worried. Not only was it worrying that he Headmaster called for him on the summer holiday, which he usually spent away from the school and with Remus, but his husband, who was drifting off next to him, was also a reason for him to worry. Ever since the strange dream about Jeremy being treated badly, the werewolf had been almost afraid to go to sleep. It had been five days now, and Remus wasn't getting any better.

"It is about Harry," Dumbledore said, sighing. This made even Remus raise his tired eyes at the ancient wizard. Then Dumbledore continued, "Arabella Figg, who, like you know, is keeping an eye on Harry for me, has reported something... alarming. While Harry usually comes to stay with her every time the Dursleys go somewhere and don't want him to be on the way, yesterday they left the house for several hours with no sign of Harry. Also, she hasn't seen him even outside the house for many days, and she's worried that something might have happened to the poor child."

Severus nodded slowly. He didn't doubt that a minute. He had never been in good terms with Lily Evans, later Potter, but he knew through Remus that Lily's sister Petunia despised anything magical. And, being four, Harry should be just showing his first signs of magic.

"And what does this have to do with us?" asked Remus then sharply, full awake for once. His previous daze seemed to have been wiped away completely at this news about Harry. Even though he had been bitter about the fact that the Potters had got Harry so shortly after he'd lost Jeremy, he'd loved the child, and he had even applied to take care of Harry after Lily and James died. Unfortunately, the Ministry had seemingly preferred even magic-hating Muggles to an unmarried werewolf/Death Eater couple. Not that Remus had given up so easily.

"I want you two to go there and examine the situation," the Headmaster said gravely. "If you see it fitting, bring Harry immediately here."

Severus and Remus exchanged determined glances. Then they bid their goodbyes to the Headmaster, exited his office and the school, and Disapparated.

* * *

"If they've truly done anything to Harry, they will pay," grumbled Remus while walking towards Number Four Privet Drive. They were coming from Arabella Figg's house, where they'd listened to her report of everything stranger she had noticed. And it didn't sound good.

"Don't do anything rash," Severus said coolly, although even he couldn't help but worry a bit for the boy. Even though Harry Potter was indeed a Potter, he was still a child. Having lost a son he hadn't even known of, he didn't hope anybody else's child to get hurt, not even James Potter's. "If they've done something to him, it's not our job to punish them. We'll just get the boy away, tell Albus, and let the Aurors take care of them."

"I'll try to remember that," muttered Remus in half agreement, half irritation. He was worried, but most of his worry had been turned into controlled anger. Well, it was certainly better than the depressed state he'd spent the few last days in.

"You do that," said Severus, then stopped in front of the Dursleys' front door. He raised a hand to knock on the door, then waited patiently as he heard sounds of footsteps approaching the door from the inside.

As soon as Petunia Dursley opened the door and saw the robe-clad people outside it, she drew a sharp breath. "Get away from here, you freaks!" she shrieked and banged the door shut.

Severus didn't care about this. Instead, he just nodded politely at his husband, stepping aside to allow Remus access to the door. Then he watched with a smirk as Remus just as calmly stepped forward, raising his hand as if to try knocking again. However, he seemingly put a bit too much strength behind his knock, as the door was soon torn of its hinged and sent banging on the Dursleys' floor. Well, that had to be just dealt with. It was not his fault that he had werewolf strength, now was it?

Petunia Dursley, who had just got far enough from the door not to be knocked down by it when Remus broke it, stared at them with her eyes wide and mouth hanging open. Then she managed to stammer, "Who -- who are you? What do you want?"

"My name is Remus Snape, and this is my husband Severus Snape," replied Remus, sounding surprisingly calm considering the circumstances. Severus merely smirked as he stepped inside over the broken door after the werewolf just as Remus continued, "We've been sent to check on Harry."

"There's nobody with that name in this house!" bellowed somebody then. As they looked into the direction of the yell, they saw a man resembling nothing but a stranded whale standing in the nearby doorway. "Now, get out of here!"

"Oh, but there should indeed be a boy called Harry in this house," Severus said coldly, fixing his best glare at the man. To his great satisfaction he noticed that this worked just as well on the Muggle as on his students. "Harry Potter, more accurately. Or have you maybe misplaced him somewhere?" At this, he raised his wand in a threatening manner.

"Fine, he was here!" shrieked the woman. "But then -- then he _changed_! And he's going to stay inside until he changes back!"

"Changed?" echoed Remus sharply. "What do you mean?"

"He did some freaky stuff and now he looks even more freaky than before," the whale -- Vernon Dursley was Severus's best guess -- grumbled. "Now he know what's happened to him. So, get out!"

"Oh, I don't think we will," Severus said silkily. "At least not without Harry. Now, WHERE IS HE?"

Even Dursley seemed to know better than to argue with an armed, angry Death Eater. "In the cupboard," he grumbled.

"CUPBOARD?!" shrieked Remus, outraged. "Get him here on this instant, Dursley, if you value your life!" He, too, whipped his wand intoight, pointing it at the now purple-faced Muggle.

Not daring to argue, Dursley walked to the stairway. To the great shock of the two wizards, he then opened a heavy padlock on a tiny door under the stairs and janked the door open. "Come out of there, freak," he commanded sharply. Then, not waiting for an answer, he reached a hand inside and pulled the tiny boy out of the cupboard.

Remus and Severus stared at the boy. He was much thinner and smaller than a boy his age should have been. There were a couple of fading bruises as well as traces of tears on his face, and his clothes seemed to be both old and way too big for him. What was even more shocking, however, was his general appearance. From Arabella Figg they had heard that little Harry looked exactly like James had, with the exception of Harry having his mother's brilliant green eyes. Now, however, Harry was nothing like that. He didn't have messy black hair, roundish face, or emerald eyes anymore. Instead, his face was heart-shaped, his hair tamed and golden brown, and his eyes were the deepest black either of them had ever seen in anybody's eyes.

Severus was completely stunned for a moment. Remus, however, did not hesitate much as he saw what he'd never even dreamed of seeing on his waking hours. "Jeremy?" he breathed in both shock and surprise. Then, without waiting for any response, he stepped forward and lifted the boy into a tight embrace.

* * *

The next chapter:

Remus is very, very angry, Severus is slightly confused, the Dursleys are scared, Dumbledore is (for once!) in the weaker position, and little Harry/Jeremy is in need of a hug. ::hug:: And another hug. ::hug:: And another...


	3. The Fathers Rage

Disclaimer: I own very little.

A/N: Now Remus is being protective. Awww.

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A Father's Love

The Father's Rage

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For some time, Severus just stared at his husband and the little child, stunned. Then, however, he pointed his wand at the now trembling Dursleys. "Explain," he snarled sharply.

"I -- I don't know how this happened," the whale of a man stuttered. "On his birthday the brat just changed. Previously he had the most hideous mess of black hair and freaky green eyes. I don't know what happened, he must have done some of his freaky stuff all on himself!"

"And that 'freaky stuff' surely explains those bruises, or his obvious malnutrition, or the fact that he was locked up in a cupboard," spat the former Death Eater. "Believe me, Dursley, you're not going to get out of this easily. Not easily at all."

Meanwhile, Remus was cooing at the little boy. "Don't cry, little one," he muttered, wiping away the tears that again started to run down the boy's face. "Don't cry, Jeremy. We've come to take you away. Nobody's going to hurt you again."

"His name is not Jeremy," the woman dared to argue. "His name is Harry. Harry Potter," she then added, obviously disgusted at even the name itself.

"You just said that nobody with that name lives here," Severus mentioned coolly. "Believe me, Dursley, this will not be good when we contact the Wizarding authorities." Turning then towards Remus and the tiny boy in the werewolf's arms, he asked, "What's your name, boy?"

For a moment, the tiny boy Remus called Jeremy -- and who most probably was just that -- was quiet. Then he said quietly, "I -- I don't know."

"What do your Aunt and Uncle call you, then?" asked Remus gently, hugging him and blowing a strand of hair from his tear-stained face. "Tell me, dear. What do they call you?"

"They call me the boy," answered the little one shyly. "Or freak."

It took all self-control Severus had not to turn Dursleys into mice and feed them to his pet snake. "You're a dead man, Dursley," he muttered quietly. "You maybe don't realize it, but you're a dead man. You just mistakenly assume that you're still alive."

Vernon Dursley was a cowardly man who never fought with somebody who might win him -- and in his mind, all wizards belonged to this category. As a cowardly man, however, he was like all his kind, and liked attacking when the enemy had their back turned towards him. Considering Remus occupied enough with the little child in his arms, he flung forward, wrapping his fingers around Severus's throat from behind. The Potions Master dropped his wand in shock, struggling to breathe in the huge man's grip. Despite his magical skills, Severus had never been very strong physically, so even though he clawed at the fat fingers with all his might, he could not free himself of the Muggle's suffocating hands.

However, that was when Remus stepped into the picture.

It's always a bad idea to attack a werewolf. But it's a _very_ bad idea to attack a werewolf's pack member. Fast as lightning, Remus had Dursley pinned against the wall, his wand grinding at the man's throat. The boy -- Jeremy -- was now beside him instead of in his lap, clutching tightly on the hem of his robes. "One step nearer to him, Dursley," the werewolf hissed venomously. "Take one more step towards him, or touch him one more time, and I swear you'll be dead."

"You'd better believe him," Severus commented lazily, quickly using his ordinary cool attitude to cover the shock of having been surprised in such a way. "I've seen him kill before. He's good at it, but not too fast. And that is not a good thing to whomever he has decided to kill."

Petunia Dursley's eyes widened as she heard his words, and she shrieked. "Don't kill him!" she begged.

"I should," Remus said coldly. "I should for all that he's done to this innocent child. Maybe I should kill you, too," he added with a sharp glance to her direction. This made her whimper and cover back a little. "Fortunately to you, though," added Remus, taking a short step backwards and glaring at Vernon, "I am more a human than you. Even though I am a werewolf --" he noticed with cruel amusement that the woman flinched, "-- even though some don't even count me a human, I'm going to behave like one and let you live." With this, he took another step back and lowered his wand, although he kept it ready all the time.

"Attempted murder," snapped Severus, resisting the urge to touch his throat, where, like he knew very well, large handprints were already forming. "Add that to obviously continuous neglect and child abuse, Dursley, and you'll spend a long time in Azkaban."

"Azkaban?" spat the man. "What is that? Some of your freak places, eh?"

"Exactly," Severus said, smiling the cruelest of his smiles. "A prison of our kind. I'm sure you will enjoy your time there -- with all the friendly Dementors guarding you." To his great satisfaction he noted that the woman paled even further. Obviously she'd heard from her now dead sister what Dementors were.

"We're going to take you away from here now, Jeremy. Is there something you would like to keep from here? Some toy, perhaps?" asked Remus then gently, concentrating on the boy again.

"No toys," muttered Jeremy. "No toys for bad boys." Oblivious to the hard glint in both Remus's and Severus's eyes -- directed at the Dursleys, though, and not at him -- he then added shyly, "Will you really take me away? I won't have to return here?" When Remus merely nodded determinedly, his wary smile grew a lot brighter. Then he said, "I want to go. I only need my blanket."

"Then we'll get your blanket." Remus started to follow the boy while Severus kept the Dursleys steadily at a wand point, not wanting a repeat of the previous attack. From the corner of his eye he saw as Jeremy disappeared into the cupboard -- oh, Dursley was _so_ going to pay for that one! A cupboard locked from the outside for a little child to live in, that alone should have amounted to a Dementor's Kiss! -- and then reappear, an old, worn-out blanket in his hand, clutching it against his chest like a precious treasure. What, like he suspected, it was to the boy -- most probably the only thing he had all to himself.

"We go now?" asked Jeremy shyly. "Where we go? And who are you? How do you know my name?"

"Yes, we are going now," the werewolf assured him, smiling at his curiosity. "We're going to go to Hogwarts, and a nice woman called Poppy Pomfrey will check you, she's a nurse. And I, well, I am your dad." With a brief smile and a nod to Severus's direction, he added, "Severus, he is your father."

"Oh!" Jeremy's eyes widened. Obviously the possibility of having two fathers was almost too much to his little child's brains. After a moment of thinking, he asked, "Why did you come here?"

"Because somebody told us to," Severus said, deciding to participate in the conversation at last. "Somebody who is called Albus Dumbledore."

"Who is he?" asked Jeremy. Seemingly he was just as curious as Remus at worst, Severus noted.

"He is an old man," he replied, "who likes sweets. And who," he added then, a very dangerous glint in his eyes, even worse than the one that had been directed to the Dursleys, "has a whole lot of explaining to do."

Jeremy did not ask anything else, he just nodded. Seemingly he had enough sense not to question anything when Severus had his dangerous expression. Hopefully he also understood that it didn't mean danger to him.

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Next chapter: Dumbledore's in for it. 


	4. Truths

Disclaimer: Nope, I do not own anything.

A/N: Dumbledore gets some back in this chapter, but for the full punishment of him and the Dursleys, you'll still have to wait. Sorry, but Jeremy's more important now!

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A Father's Love

Truths

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Remus picked the little boy up again, keeping him securely in his arms. Unnoticed by the werewolf, Severus casted a light tracking charm on the Dursley pig -- he wouldn't put it past the Muggle to try to escape justice by going to hiding. Then, not letting his wand lower before they were all out of the house, he turned towards his husband and the child who seemingly was their son. 

"Are you really my dad?" asked Jeremy shyly from Remus. As the werewolf nodded in confirmation, he continued, "Why didn't you take care of me, then?" With a little bit fearful voice, he added, "Didn't you want me? Was I -- was I bad?" Little tears shone in the boy's eyes.

"I wanted nothing more than you," Remus assured him, holding him tightly against his chest. "And you were not bad, Jeremy. You're the best little boy I've ever known." While talking, they all the time hurried towards Figg's house. "You were taken away from us," he continued quietly. "We thought you were dead."

"Oh." For some time, Jeremy didn't say anything. Then he asked, "Are we going to see Miss Figg?"

"Yes, Jeremy," Severus said, "we're indeed going to meet her. Then we're going to get you to Hogwarts."

"What's Hogwarts?" the little boy demanded. "Is it a nice place?"

"It is a very nice place," Remus promised him. "And when we're done visiting there, we'll take you home. No, not back to that horrible place where you were," he said as a flicker of fear again entered the child's eyes. "Your real home, where we live. You'll get your very own room there."

Now Jeremy's eyes widened. "I won't have to sleep in the cupboard?" As both Remus and Severus shook their heads determinedly, he continued, "May I take my blanket there?"

"Of course you can," Severus promised, then stopped, as they'd reached Figg's door at last. Knocking sharply on the door, he continued, "You will never again have to go to a cupboard, Jeremy. I promise."

A moment later, Figg came to open the door. Seeing the two wizards and the little child on Remus's arms, she gasped. "What happened?" she asked while ushering them inside. "Where's Harry?"

Remus sighed deep. "It seems that Harry never was Harry," he said slowly. "Or at least the boy who was living with the Dursleys was not him. This," he continued, petting his son's hair, "is our son. Jeremy Snape."

"Oh!" Figg's eyes widened. "You can Floo back from my living room," she said. "Albus has momentarily put the Floo wards down, you'll be able to get right to the school."

"Thank you, Bell," Remus said with a slight smile. Then he said to Jeremy, "Okay, Jeremy, we're going to do something that's called magic. Please don't be frightened, okay?"

"...Okay," the boy said shyly. "But magic doesn't exist... does it?"

"Of course it does," Severus said harshly. "Do not believe anything those Dursleys told you, they're just dirty liars -- the almost worst kind there is."

"Only 'almost' worst kind, eh?" Remus asked, raising his eyebrows. Severus nodded in confirmation.

"They're the worst kind of child abusers, true," he said, following Figg to her living room. "But the only ones of the worst kind of liars are The Dark Lord and Albus Dumbledore."

A moment, a few grains of Floo powder, and a very bewildered Jeremy later, they appeared to the Infirmary of Hogwarts. As Poppy Pomfrey saw them and especially the tiny boy in Remus's arms, she gasped in shock. "What happened?" asked she, too. "And who is this boy?"

"We will tell you everything," Remus promised, placing his son on one of the white hospital beds. Then he added, "Meanwhile, you could run a complete health scan on him."

So, Poppy examined the little boy while Remus and Severus told all about their visit to the Dursleys. She gasped as she saw the boy's injuries, and with a grave determination she photographed each and every one of the bruises, cuts and half-healed wounds on the frail body. Even the two wizards were stunned about the true extent of the child's injuries. The big clothes had hid a lot more than just a couple of fading bruises.

In the end of their story, Poppy nodded slowly. "I truly think Albus has a lot of explaining to do," she said. "My scans showed that Jeremy's had numerous Glamouring Charms on him ever since he was born. Most probably the awakening of his own magic made those slowly disappear. And the Dursleys aren't going to get out of this easily, either," she continued harshly. "He's been neglected and abused for years -- and he's only four years old, they must have started right after he was given to their care!"

"They will be dealt with," Severus said determinedly. "Now, however, I want to talk with Albus." A cold glint in his eyes showed that the meeting would not become nice for the old wizard.

"Give him some for me, too," Poppy said determinedly. "I was there when Remus gave birth -- but I do not remember it. All I know about the result is that the baby was stillborn. At least that's what Albus told me," she added bitterly. "If I find out he's messed with me, he'll be sorry!"

"Don't worry," Remus said, gathering the frightened and shivering Jeremy into his arms once again. "Albus will get what he deserves, for everything he's done to us. And to Jeremy," he added then sharply.

"...Dad?" asked a quiet voice. As they all locked their eyes at him, the boy said uneasily, "I'm sleepy."

"That's just a result of the complete scanning charm, dear," Remus said expertly. He had, after all, been its target for not a few times himself. "Just sleep, Jeremy. I'll take care of you." Tightening his arms around the boy, he added, "I won't let anybody take you from me and your father anymore."

"Good..." With this, Jeremy yawned. Then he pressed his tear-stained face against Remus's chest, snuggled up to his carrier, and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

"You told me he was stillborn," said Remus quietly with a sharp, accusing voice. "You never even let me see or hold him, you just said that it was better that way, that it would be easier." Like trying to make up for that, he held the sleeping boy even more tightly against himself. The little boy mumbled quietly in his sleep, not stirring even when their voices were raised. Even in sleep he pressed his little body against Remus, however, seemingly understanding that the man who called himself his Dad was safe and secure. 

"I did what I thought was the best," sighed the Headmaster. "Believe me, Remus, I was only trying to make it better for everyone. You were a single werewolf, the Ministry wouldn't have let you keep him anyway."

"I would have found a way," said the werewolf with a wavering voice. "I'd have contacted Severus, have Sirius claim the kid as his own, anything. There was no way I could have given him up. And you stole him from me."

"It wasn't just that, was it, Albus?" asked Severus then quietly. "You needed us. You needed me to be with Remus so you could be sure about my loyalty, and you needed Remus on the field instead of taking care of a child. The Potters were already in the hiding, they could care for him without ruining your carefully laid plans. How did you allow the Weasleys to keep Ron? Because they were already useless to you, having little children? Or were you just unable to take their baby to another couple?"

"I wanted only your best," Dumbledore said quietly -- hopelessly, in fact.

"Indeed." The werewolf snorted. "And what if I had killed myself like I planned to?" Seeing the Headmaster blinking, he pressed Jeremy even tighter against his chest and went on, "That's what I planned, you know. By the time you told Severus to come to see me I'd decided on killing myself. It was only he who would turn my head." Another snort was heard. Then he said, "What would have happened to your precious plans then? Or to your self-righteous explanations with which you tried to reason your doings?"

"Calm down, Remus," Severus said quietly, placing a hand on his arm. "We have Jeremy back to us now, don't we? And we're not giving him up anymore. At first we have to get him settled in, then we can deal with this manipulative bastard." With a smirk he added, "Besides, if we start yelling now, our son will wake up. And that we do not want, now do we?"

Now, Dumbledore gasped. It wasn't Severus's calm voice assuring him of the coming revenge that shocked him -- he'd known it would come, neither of these men was known to forget easily, and he knew he deserved it -- but instead it was something he'd seen when the Potions Master had turned to talk to his husband. The marks of large hands on the pale neck, to be exact. "What caused those?" he asked quietly.

"Oh, these hand prints?" Severus raised his eyebrows. "Dursley. Vernon Dursley, the same man whom you trusted to take care of a child. Poppy almost fainted when she scanned Jeremy's injuries." Of course, this did not help Dumbledore's guilt, but instead made him hang his head in shame.

"What did you do to Poppy, anyway?" asked Remus. "Or did you get her in to your plans, too?"

"No, I didn't," the Headmaster said, sighing and shaking his head. "She refused to let me do that, do not hold ill will against her, she would have never allowed it. I had to Obliviate her."

"Well, at least somebody around here has some morals," Severus snorted. "Goodbye, Albus. As much as I would want to give you everything you deserve right now, what I said to Remus earlier still stands. Jeremy is more important now." With a hard glint in his eyes, he added, "But don't think this is over."

And Dumbledore didn't. He did not think this was over, neither did he think he would get out of it easily.

He might have been the only person Lord Voldemort had ever feared. But right now these two betrayed fathers were the only people who could make _him_ fear.

* * *

Next chapter:

Jeremy gets home at last.


	5. Payback Time

Disclaimer: Nuhuh, I own nothing.

A/N: There are many very imaginative stories of somebody getting revenge on Dursleys for mistreating Harry. They vary from suing them to bloody murders. I don't know if my own version is any good, but it's the only one that would come to me when all the plot bunnies decided to left me (while they usually jump all around, a lot more of them than I'd need). What is it with those creatures? When they're not needed, there are endless amounts of them, and when you desperately need even one...

* * *

A Father's Love 

Payback Time

* * *

Severus glanced around in the room they were in. The house-elves were busy redecorating the unused room into Jeremy's new bedroom. Remus had placed the still sleeping boy on the bed which he'd temporarily shrank from a bigger one until they could get a proper children's bed, making a list of everything they'd need for Jeremy. The boy himself just slept peacefully. 

"Molly's Ron is about the same age, she'll surely help us out," the werewolf just mused aloud. "At least she can provide Jeremy with some clothes until we can get him new ones." Right now the boy slept in pyjamas they'd shrunk from Remus's own -- and the filthy, overlarge clothes the boy had worn at Dursleys had been given to the house-elves not to be washed, but to be burned. Their son would not wear them anymore. Neither would he ever go back to those monsters.

Severus was still fuming. The photographs Poppy had taken of Jeremy's injuries and her description about the boy's miserable physical condition might get the Dursleys into a prison. However, no matter how he'd threatened them, not a Muggle could be thrown into the Wizarding prison. The trial would be in a Muggle court, with Muggle -- or Muggleborn -- lawyers, and the possible sentence would be into a Muggle prison.

And, of course, this did not satisfy Severus and his thirst for revenge.

"You're not listening to me," Remus said then, sounding not accusing but almost concerned. "What's bothering you, Severus? Is something wrong with you?"

The Slytherin shook his head. "I was just thinking about how the Dursleys are going to escape Azkaban after all," he said quietly. "They would both deserve a Dementor's Kiss, for Merlin's sake!"

For a moment, Remus watched his husband with his vivid amber eyes. Then he said briefly, "Go."

"What do you mean, 'go?'" Severus asked, a bit startled. "Where should I go?"

"To the Dursleys, obviously," Remus replied, shrugging a bit. "You obviously would prefer your personal revenge to the whatever sentence the Muggle court is going to give them. I'm not on a really forgiving mood right now, either, not after seeing Jeremy's condition, and especially with the whale attacking you." A hard glint entered Remus's eyes as he continued, "I will take care of Jeremy's things. You go and beat them."

"Shall it be as you wish, my Master and Lord," Severus said dryly. "Not that I'd protest much. How much harm am I allowed to do to them?" he asked then, eyeing his husband curiously.

"As long as you don't kill them personally, do anything you want," muttered the werewolf. "Turn them into rats and then give then to some highly suspicious laboratory for guinea pigs. Make them throw up their internal organs and then shove them back inside. Hypnotize them to go to bungee jumping with broken ropes. I'm sure you can think of something, you're a Slytherin, after all."

"Oh, I am indeed sure I can think of something," Severus muttered. And with this, he walked out of their home -- the Snape Manor -- and almost immediately Disapparated.

* * *

It was late when Severus neared Number Four, Privet Drive. The Muggles still seemed to be home, according to the light shining through the windows. That was good; he wouldn't have to go chasing them. Still, to avoid possible witnesses, he drank an Invisibility Potion before sneaking to the garden. 

Knowing that even though Alohomora would have easily got him inside, the door being opened would have alarmed the monsters instantly, Severus started to walk through the house. Soon he found an open window. It was that of a room upstairs, but a drop of Levitation Potion got him there easily. Going through the window, Severus soon found himself in Dudley Dursley's bedroom.

He snorted as he glanced at the fat boy sleeping peacefully in his bed. The little pig was seemingly like his father in every aspect. Glancing around the spacious room that would have been enough for two if not three children, he fumed. There surely were even spare rooms in the house -- and Jeremy had had to sleep in a cupboard, while this ugly pig had this, this _hall_ all to himself?

A boxing bag hung from the ceiling near the sleeping boy's bed, attracting Severus's attention. Another glance told him that it was pretty worn-out -- not from age, though, as it seemed to be almost new, but of constant use. A pair of small boxing gloves lying on the floor below it also looked like they were used frequently. Really, what kind of a person bought a boxing bag to their four-year-old son? And moreover, what kind of a child would play with it so rudely in such a young age?

Suddenly, Severus got an idea. An evil smile curled his lips as he fumbled through the potions bag on his belt, finally finding a phial of a transfiguration potion. Walking to the boxing bag with silent steps so as not to wake the little monster, and cutting a little piece of the bag with the tip of his wand and a quietly murmured spell, he dropped the tiny piece of leather into the phial. Immediately the potion began to bubble, then calmed down, having absorbed the essence of the boxing bag into itself.

The previous one might have been too used, but that was not a reason to worry. Little Dudley would receive a nice new boxing bag to take his feelings out on after his parents' mysterious disappearance. This bag, however, would not wear out, not ever. No matter how much he hit and kicked it, it would still be like new. He had no doubt the boy would have lots of fun with it for a long time to come.

Of course, the boxing bag -- which would in essence be his disappeared father -- would not enjoy it as much as it had done when it'd been on the giving end.

The plan was perfect. Even if the conscious boxing bag ever got to the Ministry's hand and somebody found out its secret, it could not be detected back to him -- he always kept sure not to leave his own imprint in any of the potions he brewed. And Dursley was going to get exactly what he deserved.

Oh, how much fun he would have, knowing that Dursley's brat was beating his own father...

That didn't solve the problem of the woman, however. Turning her into a pair of boxing gloves might have been otherwise sufficient -- after all, it'd been she who got thrown against the bag continuously -- but those would have eventually become too small for the little whale, and then his revenge would have lost its meaning. No, he had to come up with something entirely different.

Putting his hand back to the bag, hoping to find something that would help him decide, his fingers met another familiar phial. Ah, the Brew of Dreams. Yes, this would definitely do.

The Brew of Dreams would, if the drinker possessed the gift of Seeing, make them able to reach the visions and fall into a trance more easily. If they didn't have the gift, it would give some hasty images -- if the drinker was magical. However, if it were a Muggle who drank it, it would cause visions, both true and untrue, that would not cease until the counter-potion was given to the unfortunate Muggle.

Yes, he really thought that Petunia Dursley would enjoy her new life as a madwoman in the streets of some big Muggle city. Wandering along the dark alleys, not knowing what was true and what just illusions, she would be without anybody's help, neglected, hungry, and alone, despised by everyone who saw her. Just like Jeremy had been when he'd supposedly been in the woman's care.

And of course, their son, who would be left an orphan and given to some relative. Severus doubted, however, that he would even miss his parents terribly much. He couldn't, if he was a child of those monsters. And, knowing this, even the little hint of guilt he'd almost felt about orphaning the little, violent Dudley Dursley left him immediately, not returning.

Oh, revenge truly was sweet.

* * *

::hides:: Don't kill me... It's a bad revenge on my logic! I'm just an innocent author... If you kill me, I'll never write any more! 

Next chapter:

Erm... More of Jeremy?


	6. Of Past and Future

Disclaimer: I own very little.

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to **olidliga**, for being the 100th reviewer of this very same story. It's also dedicated to **Minna** for a)standing my company for such a long time, b)letting me read her fic, c)giving me the inspiration for this chapter, and d)saving my dear pen. I thank you both for making my day.  
I usually do not use anybody else's lyrics or such in my fics - mostly because I know hardly anything but classical music. However, in this chapter, Remus sings a bit of a song called _Sleep_, by a band called **Poets of the Fall**. I was listening to it over at Minna's, and, though majority of the song would be more suitable to be sung to your lover than to your child, I decided to let it have an appearance. It did, after all, echo in my mind all the time when I was writing this chapter, and had its effect on how this chap turned out.

:shakes head: Zigzag was meant to be a fic that would be affected by my other stories. Now, however, it's starting to affect the others in turn... I swear, I never meant to have this Remus have been raped at some point. But then Remus asked his replicas in Zigzag, and, well, he just seemed like a fine choice to raise his hand. And thus, Zigzag managed to affect this other Remus in turn.

* * *

A Father's Love 

Of Past and Future

* * *

"How is he" asked Severus quietly as he returned home, finding Remus sitting on Jeremy's bedside. The werewolf was petting the boy's hair gently, a tiny smile gracing his lips. 

"As good as can be expected" replied the werewolf quietly. "Asleep, for now. Are they alive" he then asked. As Severus nodded, Remus raised his eyebrows. "What did you do to them, then" Petting Jeremy's hair for the one last time, he leant forward, and placed a light kiss on Jeremy's forehead. "Good night, little one" he whispered.

Severus watched silently as his husband tucked their son into the bed - a sigh he'd thought would never meet his eyes. It made him feel strange. Though the feeling wasn't exactly familiar to him, it wasn't entirely unpleasant. In fact, it felt quite pleasant. Maybe it was paternal love, maybe not; he couldn't really tell. However, he indeed could tell that he loved Jeremy. True, he did hate all child abusers with a fierce passion, but he'd been even more hateful towards the monsters who had called themselves Dursleys. And it wasn't only because they'd hurt Remus with their treatment of Jeremy, either.

"Let's go somewhere else so we won't wake him, and I'll tell you" replied Severus. As Remus seemed to hesitate, he sighed. "Really, Remus. The house-elves will tell us if something happens. He's not going to vanish if you leave the room." At least Severus desperately hoped he wouldn't. Remus would never get over it if that happened.

"You're right." Remus gave him a weak smile. "I just find it so unbelievable, that we finally do have him. I simply don't want to risk losing him yet again."

"You won't lose him" promised Severus. "As long as I'm alive, Jeremy will stay with us. I will not let anybody take him away, not ever again." While wrapping an arm around the werewolf's shoulders, he vowed that he would never forgive Albus Dumbledore for what he had done. After seeing his lover and husband mourning their thought-to-be-dead son for four whole years, he couldn't tell what was worse - Remus's endless delight about getting back what by right should have been his all the time, or his desperate fear of losing the boy again. Nothing could have pained Severus more than seeing his dear Remus's pain.

"So" Remus said as soon as they reached the kitchen and Severus had asked a house-elf for some hot chocolate. "If you really let them stay alive, what did you do, then? You looked pretty mad when you left."

"That's because I was mad" replied Severus. "Do not worry, nobody can trace anything back to me."

"Of course not, you're too Slytherin for that." Remus took a sip of his chocolate, then asked"So, what did you do to them, exactly? Turned them into toads, perhaps? And what about their son"

"Well, the boy's an orphan now, though his parents are not dead" replied Severus. "That horse-faced whore is currently wandering around as a madwoman; I do fear she managed to lose her mind. Let her know what it feels like to be despised and called a freak, now." Not looking at his husband, he took a sip of his own drink before continuing"As for the pig of a man, Well, I noticed that their son's boxing bag was a bit old." Putting his hand into his pocket, he drew out the brand new boxing bag he'd shrunk to make it easier to carry around. "I'll send him a little gift soon. I truly hope that he'll make use of it."

"So you're going to make his own son beat him in a regular basis" To Severus's great surprise, the werewolf actually chuckled. Then a soft kiss was placed on his cheek. "Thank you, Severus. I always did know there was a reason why I love you so much."

"You're not criticizing me" Severus raised an eyebrow, turning towards Remus. To his surprise, he only saw sincerity in the bright amber eyes. "I thought you wouldn't fully approve of my actions."

"What you did to them just serves them fair" said Remus. "They neglected and abused an innocent child, our son, for years running. They deserve nothing better."

"I completely agree." After the justification of his actions had been agreed on, he then moved to other pressing topics. "Anyway. What do we have to get for the boy? Clothes and toys, that I do know, but what else does he need right now"

"Well..." Remus looked at him over his cup. "I firecalled Molly earlier, and she gave me a few of Ron's old clothes. She told me to just keep them - those that fit Jeremy are far too little for Ron" he sighed.

"On that note" Severus mused aloud"I must brew a couple of nutrification and growth-speeding potions for the boy. Considering how tiny and malnourished he is, the growth-spurt those potions cause will probably have him grow out of Ron's clothes soon."

"Could you please stop that" Remus looked rather annoyed, and a bit nervous.

"Could I stop what" asked Severus. He was, for once, genuinely confused as of what Remus meant.

"Calling Jeremy 'the boy'. He's our son, for Merlin's sake! Call him that, or by his name! It feels like I was sitting in front of " Suddenly Remus fell silent, and shivered. Then, he finished"It feels like I was sitting here with Vernon Dursley." Both of them knew that, despite his hatred for the man-now-turned-boxing-bag, Dursley had not been the name Remus had originally meant to finish his sentence with.

"I'm sorry" Severus said quietly. "Of course Jeremy is our son; I'd never say anything else. I guess I just need some time to get used to this, those words don't come easy to me. I love you, Remus, never have any doubt about that, and I also love our son. But you have to understand that it will take time from me to have the same bond with him as you have, if I can ever achieve that. Before today, Jeremy has always been some kind of a story to me, a story that is real but only you know anything about. To me, he's always been just a shadow from our past, something that you have told me about. You were pregnant with him, you loved him while you still had him. Before now, all of him I've been able to love has been a memory, a memory that's not even mine." After a moment of silence, he added"Try to understand, Remus. I do love Jeremy. It's just that I've never known him before, he's not been so real to me."

Remus was quiet for a while, then sighed. "I do understand" he said quietly. "You are right, after all - you've never had him before, unlike me, who could have him for at least nine months. But try to call him by his name at least when he's around, okay? I don't want him remembering any of the Dursleys." As Severus nodded, Remus looked relieved. "So, we need to get him bigger clothes, for when he's grown to the size he's supposed to be. Also, I want him to have toys, any toys he might like. After the Dursleys, I don't think that anything we can do for him could make him spoiled. Some kid furniture for his room also has to be purchased." After a pause, Remus said"Aside from that and proper food, not much else. Care, time, safety, and love, yes, but nothing that would cost any money."

"If it is so, tomorrow we're going to go to buy all those purchaseable items" Severus said determinedly. "And as for the rest... Well, we'll also see to those." Their gazes met, held, and then they both nodded. "I'll go brew those potions right now" the Potions Master said then, finishing his chocolate with one big gulp and standing up. "If I start now, I'll be finished before midnight." Leaning down to place a kiss on his still sitting husband's forehead, he added"Do try not to worry too much. I won't let anybody hurt Jeremy ever again." '_Or you_,' he added silently in his mind, but didn't say it aloud.

And then, Severus left to go to his laboratory. On his way there, he thought about his little family. About the small, badly hurt boy sleeping in his shrunk pyjamas somewhere within the Manor, about the tired and much-suffered man he'd left behind to the kitchen, and also about the small, shivering child in the back of his mind who was in reality him. Wondering how their fates seemed to be so similar, he silently vowed that Jeremy would never again suffer the same fate as his both parents.

* * *

Severus glanced down at the potion in the cauldron. Then, nodding in satisfaction, he started to bottle it. After finishing his work, he bent his body back from the waist up. His back gave a loud, cracking sound, and he winced. 

Leaving the laboratory, he consulted his inner clock, which told him that it was truly about midnight now. Despite the late hour, however, he knew very well that Remus could not be found in the master bedroom. So, he walked towards the room that now belonged to their little son.

When he reached Jeremy's room, however, he froze in the doorway. Remus was there, yes. He was sitting next to Jeremy's bed, one of his hands petting the boy's hair. The werewolf was singing quietly, seeming to be completely at peace with himself and the world alike.

"Sleep, sugar, let your dreams flood in, like waves of sweet fire, you're safe within..." Remus's voice echoed through the otherwise quiet room. This sight - his beloved husband, finally at peace for the first time in what seemed to be forever, and the fragile child lying on the bed - made Severus's heart clench in his chest. It felt different from what he'd analysed as paternal pride - more familiar, and even more pleasant. The feeling was similar, though stronger, to the one he sometimes got while lying awake in their bed at night, running his fingers through Remus's soft hair and listening to the werewolf's almost soundless breath, enjoying the pleasant, reassuring weight of his husband lying over his chest. For a moment, Severus wondered if this was what happiness felt like.

Then, however, he broke out of his daze. "You should be sleeping" he said quietly. "It's not that long to the next full moon. The - _Jeremy_ will not disappear even if you do get some well-needed rest."

"But what if he wakes up in the middle of night, and gets scared when he's alone in a strange place" asked Remus. He didn't seem startled; his keen werewolf senses had of course noticed Severus a lot earlier. "Or what if he has some nightmare? I have to be here with him so he won't get so frightened"

"We can cast charms that will allow us to hear if he wakes up" Severus replied. "Come on now, Remus. You won't do our son any good by exhausting yourself like this. You don't have to make up for all the missing years at once, you know."

"But I want to." Remus smiled weakly, then got up. "I guess you're right" he said then, sighing. "I just can't get over the fact that we finally have him." Then, his amber eyes getting icy, he added"That reminds me, we still have one problem to solve." At Severus's questioning gaze as they exited their son's room, he said"We still haven't established what we're going to do about Dumbledore."

Now, Severus's expression hardened. "If I only could, I would go through with my plans and threats and kill him for everything he's done" he muttered. "But he's probably the most powerful wizard in the world, I can't do anything to him." He sighed, but then smirked. "So, where would you want to go? France, or Russia? Or perhaps you'd prefer the United States"

Now, it was Remus's turn to be confused. "What on Earth are you talking about" he asked.

"Well, you know very well that, with my skills as a Potions Master, if I choose to offer my services to any Wizarding school or Potions company, they will accept immediately" Severus replied. "Beauxbatons, Dumstrang, the Salem Institute... All of them would hire me if I only asked, and be all too happy to host my husband and son as well. Which would you like best? I can't do much to Dumbledore directly, but I can make sure that he'll never again have a chance to mess with us or our son. Plus, it'll be rather difficult for him to find a new Potions Professor for his school, for I do not plan on telling him about my resignation until the students start to arrive" he explained, still smirking.

Remus pondered his options for a moment. "Beauxbatons would still be too near to Dumbledore" he said then. "As for Dumstrang, well, I don't know a word of Russian, and I'd rather not risk having any chance to meet your relatives there. And Salem's Headmaster is an old buddy of Dumbledore's, and I wouldn't put it past the old manipulative bastard to pay back by getting you sacked from there. But what about Canada? I heard that the current Potions Professor of Maltedaux is no good, and all my pleasant relatives live over there. Besides, the Headmaster is a good friend of my aunt's, she would be sure to hire you - and not to care about the fact that the husband of yours her school would be hosting is a werewolf."

"Actually, that sounds like a good idea." Severus nodded approvingly. "Very well. I'll firecall the Headmaster of Maltedaux first thing tomorrow." Wrapping an arm around his husband's shoulders, he said then"Now, it's well about the time for us both to get some sleep."

So, they walked to the master bedroom, where they quickly settled to sleep. Once they were both lying in their bed, however, Severus saw it fitting to speak up again. "Earlier, in the kitchen, when we were talking... It wasn't Dursley you originally meant to mention, was it"

Remus sighed in quiet admission. "It wasn't, you're right on that. The way you spoke... 'the boy,' and all that... It made me think of my stepfather." After saying this, Remus hid his face against Severus's shoulder.

"Just what I thought, then." Severus nodded a bit in the darkness, knowing very well why Remus had made the connection between Severus's way to talk and his stepfather.

Jeremy's previous life truly resembled that of both of theirs. Severus's father had been, to put it nicely, a malicious bastard. In the age of fifteen, the young Slytherin had finally got enough of the old bastard beating him and raping his mother, and had poisoned him. Never in his life had he felt any remorse about that.

As for Remus, well... His parents had been good, true. When he'd been five, however, a werewolf had killed his father and Turned him. Unable to both care for her werewolf son and support them both, his mother had soon married another man. This man, however, was a monster of the worst kind. Blackmailing her by threatening to reveal Remus's secret - and later on, threatening to take him out of school to make sure he would become an outcast of the Wizarding World - he kept abusing both Remus's mother and the boy himself. In the end, he hadn't been content with just beating. He'd spent most nights of the summer after Remus's sixth year by raping his stepson. Unable to bear it anymore, Remus had finally run away, spending rest of the summer over at Severus's home. He hadn't heard a word of his mother ever since.

All these images of pain and fear came back to Severus's mind, uninvited. He vowed that his son would never have to be afraid of his father. Never, ever.

Just then, he felt a light hand crawling down his chest. Then, Remus's head popped up from underneath the covers, where it had been pressed against his shoulder. The werewolf's hot breath teased his skin for a while, before his lips were sealed by a warm, passionate kiss. Enjoying it, Severus let himself respond. However, when Remus's hand started to travel too low, he grasped the thin wrist underneath the fine sheets to stop it from going further. "No, Remus" he said, gently but firmly.

"Why not" Confused amber eyes watched him from the perfect, heart-shaped face. "Don't you want me"

"Never could I not want you, Remus" replied Severus. "However, I do not think it would be a good idea right now. I may sound selfish to you, but I will not make love to you if you're thinking about your stepfather. I don't want you to associate me with him, not in any way."

Remus sighed. "Please, Severus" he then pleaded. "I just need to forget about it. There's no way I could ever connect you to that bastard, I know you would never hurt me in any way. Please, I need you..."

Severus glanced at the amber eyes that were staring at him, glowing even in the semidarkness of their room. Seeing the same plea there as the one Remus had voiced, he sighed. "Fine. Be that way, then" he murmured, then leant in to kiss his husband, gently. "But promise me one thing, Remus. If you start to feel uncomfortable, at any point, for whatever reason, tell me, and I'll stop. I'd never want to hurt you."

"I know that" mumbled Remus in response. Then he kissed him again.

And then, talking and coherent thoughts were abandoned for the rest of the night.

* * *

A/N: Woah... :shakes head: That was a long one... Hope you liked it! 

Next chapter:

Some well-needed shopping is done, plus Severus contacts the Headmaster of Maltedaux.


	7. A New Life

Disclaimer: I own very little.

A/N: So. I didn't remember anything about what I'd originally meant to write, so I'm just trying to end this story. Just so you know, this is the last actual chapter to this -- I have too many WIPs as it is.

* * *

A Father's Love 

A New Life

* * *

"Papa! Papa!" called out a happy voice. "Come here, Papa!" A little boy giggled happily, his hair shining in the sunlight, golden and honey locks in happy disarray. 

"I'm coming, Jeremy," replied the equally golden-haired man, though his hair was tainted with grey. As he reached the happy boy's side, a hand shot up to grasp his.

Remus basked in the warm sunlight, listening to his son's happy chatter. After only a year in Canada, Jeremy already spoke French as well as English. Even Severus was starting to learn, although he'd been very reluctant at first. If the country had two languages, Severus had said, why should he know them both? However, when Remus had "accidentally" let it slip that French was a very sexy language by his mind, the Potions Master had suddenly become a lot more eager to learn the other language of both his husband and their new home country. And, like Remus had come to notice, French sounded even more sexy when drawled on Severus's velvety tones.

With Jeremy Severus always spoke English, though. Thus the little boy had had no problems with settling into Canada. They often visited Remus's relatives, and he was the whole school's little pet. There wasn't a student in Maltedaux who hadn't loved the Potions Master's son from their first day there. Jeremy had even forgotten his overwhelming shyness by now, enjoying the attention.

Jeremy was a happy child nowadays, and healthy, too. Thanks to Severus's potions, he was no more smaller than other children of his age, despite the abuse of his earlier years. So, he was now just like any other little boy, only he didn't have a mommy but a papa and a father.

"Oi, Jeremy!" called a voice behind them. "Come here and play!" As both the son and the father turned around, they saw another little boy running towards them. He was Mark Grocer, the Charms Professor's son, and Jeremy's best friend. Behind him they saw his mother.

"Hi, Remus," said Emma Grocer as she reached his side, smiling as she watched the two boys starting to run around each other. "I thought I could look after Jeremy for a while and let you get some rest."

"Thank you, Emma," Remus said, smiling gratefully at her. "I truly could use some rest. Both Severus and all the students are busy now, what with the exams and all, and there's nobody who could look after Jeremy for me. He's a nice boy, but gets rather wild at times."

"I bet he does." The witch gave him a fond smile. "Now, get inside and see if you could tear Severus away from his work for a while. You need him more now than the brats' schoolwork."

Remus smirked, then headed towards the large building on the other side of the open field. His walk was not too fast, thanks to the bump on his waist. He was bigger than he should have been at five months along. The school nurse couldn't really tell whether he was having twins, and he couldn't very well go to a Muggle doctor, so he didn't know whether he was having two babies or just an unusually big one.

Either way, he was delighted. True, it would be harder to give birth to a large baby or twins, but now he didn't have to fear that his child or children would inherit his curse. If a lycanthropic carrier transferred the curse to the baby -- very unusual, but at times, it did happen -- the child was smaller than a wholly human baby. On the other hand, a zygote with werewolf genes could not become identical twins, and the chances of a male pregnancy resulting with unidentical twins were practically none.

So, despite the burden on his waist, Remus was on a good mood as he headed towards his husband's office. The werewolf had refused to raise Jeremy in dungeons, and so their quarters as well as Severus's office and classroom resided in a nice, airy tower. At first the Potions Master had protested against this change in his usual living conditions, but eventually he'd given in. After all, it wasn't like they had spent the school holidays in the dungeons even before. So why the school years?

They could no more go to the Snape Manor for the holidays. Well, so technically, they could have, but they had agreed not to go back to the British Isles as long as Albus Dumbledore was still alive. So, they would be spending the following summer half at the school, half at Remus's family home.

In fact, Remus was dreading the coming summer. Of course it would be wonderful to be able to spend time with his family, but being pregnant at summer was not a feat. The last month with Jeremy had been torture. Well, at least he had Severus to help him through it now.

The man in question was sitting in front of his desk as Remus walked into the office. "Where did you leave Jeremy?" he asked, seemingly cool but with affection shining through.

"Emma is looking after him," the werewolf replied. "She said I needed some rest."

"Sounds like Emma is a rather sensible woman." With this said, Severus returned to his papers.

Remus smirked at that. "She also said that I should drag you away from your papers for a while."

Now, Severus rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. "Oh, well. I guess you're going to force me out of my office if I don't come voluntarily," he grumbled, standing up from his desk. "It's not like I'm going to miss grading those papers. These kids know nothing about potions! With the younger kids, I can still fix some of the damage made by their previous teacher, but with the seventh years, this year was simply not enough."

"Speaking of teachers," Remus said as they walked slowly through the corridors, "this came today." He drew a letter from his pocket and handed it to Severus, who read it immediately. As the Slytherin had read it through, he frowned and gave the letter back to his husband.

"Well, I guess the Headmistress will agree," he said. "At least I don't see any reason why she wouldn't agree. But are you sure you can handle that?"

Remus shook his head in exasperation. "Severus, I'm not a porcelain doll," he said. "It's not like Albus himself was coming, now is it? Of course I can handle them. They've done nothing to us. The worst they could do is to remind me of the past, and that can hardly harm me or the baby, now can it?"

"Speaking of which..." Severus wrapped an arm around his waist, placing a hand onto his stomach. "Has the baby kicked yet?" he asked, half curious, half longing.

"Not yet," Remus said, smiling at him. "Don't worry, soon they will. I think that the later he or she starts kicking, the better -- Jeremy certainly mutilated my ribs enough back then."

"Poor you." Severus placed a light kiss on his temple. "Would you feel better if you had a bath?"

Remus smirked slyly at him. "Only if you were there with me," he replied.

And of course, Severus was delighted to make his husband feel better.

* * *

Two days after the end of the term, family Snape got some guests. To be exact, several Hogwarts professors, who had come to see how their former colleague was faring abroad. 

"You look wonderful, Remus," Poppy Pomfrey praised as she saw the pregnant werewolf. Then, with her tone turning motherly, she asked, "You have been taking care of yourself, haven't you?"

Remus chuckled. "Of course I have, Poppy," he replied. "And even if I hadn't, Severus's care would have certainly been enough. It's been all I can do to keep him from stopping me from being outside. He seems to think that because I am pregnant I might break if the wind gets too harsh."

"And is this Jeremy?" asked Minerva, looking at the grinning boy by Remus's side. "My, my. He seems to be such a big boy already. Are you a big boy, Jeremy?" she asked then.

Now, Jeremy smirked very Severus-ly. "Oui, je suis," he replied. _"Yes, I am_."

"Oh, my," laughed Filius. "He truly is your son, Severus." Then, his expression turned into one of suspicion. "By the way, Severus," he said, "you wouldn't know anything about the headaches that have been disturbing Albus lately, would you?" Ah, yes. He wasn't a Ravenclaw for nothing in the end.

"What, me?" The Potions Master acted innocent. "How could I know anything about those? I haven't been to Hogwarts for a year now, if you remember. Perhaps, if you described his symptoms better, I could try to detect what exactly is wrong with him." Remus gave him a suspicious glance, but didn't say anything.

Minerva raised an eyebrow. "Ever since Christmas, he has been suffering of random headaches," she told. "They are becoming more and more frequent, and every time is worse than the previous one. Lately, he has been also experiencing problems with his eyesight. It's not a migraine, though, Poppy's already checked him for that. So, do you have any idea of what might have caused that?"

"Oh, well," Severus said with a mock-sigh. "Poor Albus. It seems that he has somehow managed to be poisoned with Marivetas." He smirked evilly. "Your dear Headmaster can expect headaches that just keep getting worse, and eventually, he will become blind. He won't die, though. Pity."

"You don't seem too sad about his unfortunate fate," observed Poppy levelly.

"Why would I be?" asked the Slytherin, raising his eyebrow. "He took our son from us and let us think that he was dead for four years. That almost drove Remus to suicide. I most certainly won't mind anything bad that somebody decides to do to him. Of course I have no idea how anybody could slip such a vicious poison to him, although I do have to suspect that he isn't as suspicious as he should when it comes to chocolates he receives at Christmas. Not all people have his best interest in mind."

"Of course, this is all just a guess," added Filius. "You have no idea of what has happened in reality."

Severus smirked broadly. "How ever could I?"

* * *

Filius, Minerva, and Poppy stayed for a couple of days. Jeremy certainly did not have time to miss the students as these three gave him all the attention he could ever want. Severus enjoyed talking with his former colleagues, while Remus just had a good time resting and collecting strength now that Jeremy had somebody to look after him all the time. 

At last, however, the visiting members of Hogwarts staff had to leave. The following day, the Snapes headed for the Lupin Mansion in Quebec.

"You look thoughtful," noted Remus as they said together in a comfortable silence. "What is it?"

"Oh, it's nothing," replied his husband nonchalantly. "Just something Minerva said."

"Oh?" Remus raised an eyebrow. "And what did she say?"

"She just noted that if Albus becomes blind, he hardly can fulfill his Headmaster duties," Severus said. "Then, she will become the Headmistress. And as they haven't been able to find a proper Potions Master, and they'll also need a Deputy Headmaster when Albus retires, well..."

"She offered you the position?" Remus asked. He already knew the answer.

"Yes." Severus sighed a bit. "I said that I'd think about it. There are so many things to consider. Jeremy's been really happy here, what with the friends and all, but on the other hand, I would like to see him attend to Hogwarts. So, I told her that we would see with the time."

"Right." Remus snuggled up to his husband, resting his hands on his rounded abdomen. "We'll also have to see what this little one or ones think about moving." With a chuckle, he added, "My dearest aunt wouldn't like it too much, however. Never mind my grandmother."

At that, Severus grimaced. "That's it. We're going back," he said half-jokingly. Remus's grandmother, Marié Lupin, and his aunt, Amelié Lupin, who were running the Lupin Mansion, had been absolutely delighted to have Remus and Jeremy visiting them so often. They most certainly wouldn't like them moving away. And, as they already disliked Severus for some reason, it would be clear whom they would blame for it if they didn't see dear "Remie" and Jeremy as often in the future.

"Well, that'll come later," the werewolf decided. "You're right, though. Maltedaux is good and all, but I would like to see our children in Hogwarts." With a grin, he added, "Hogwarts needs more Marauders."

"Merlin forbid that," was the only reply he got.

* * *

Epilogue: **Back Home**

The Snapes return to England.


	8. Epilogue: Back Home

Disclaimer: I own very little.

A/N::blushes: I know my French's not that good. True, I studied it over two years, but about the only thing I can say right is "Je ne parles pas francais." If it even goes that way. I only made them use French as I've always pictured Remus with French parents, and I do think he'd speak fluent French.

So, the French from last chap has been removed... Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed this story. This epilogue will give you more information about Jeremy's beginning in Canada, as well as a (hopefully) satisfying ending to the story.

* * *

A Father's Love 

Back Home

* * *

Five people stood in front of an enormous castle. The tallest one, a man with raven hair and warm beetle-black eyes turned towards the two smallest ones. "That," he said to them, "is Hogwarts." 

The small people, two little girls with equally black hair and twinkling amber eyes, both squealed. "It's huge!" exclaimed one of them, and the other added, "It's great!" And with that, they pried themselves away from the man's grip and started to chase each other to the castle.

Severus Snape shook his head as he watched his twin daughters run. "They are not mine," he muttered. "I refuse to believe that they could be mine. You have cheated on me, Remus."

The golden-haired man on his side rolled his eyes towards the sky, ignoring the snicker from the young boy who was still there with them. "I'm sorry to tell you this, Severus, but they are indeed yours," he said.

Now, Severus sighed deep and shook his head. "Very well," he grumbled. "Let's go before they bring the entire place to ruins." And with that he, to, started to walk towards the castle, determinedly ignoring the amused glances his husband and son were exchanging behind his back.

Ah, yes. After seven long years, family Snape is finally back at Hogwarts, hopefully to stay this time. It is time for young Jeremy to start his magical education, and despite having greatly enjoyed themselves in Maltedaux, the two fathers wanted him to attend their old school. Without Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts was a lovely place, that they had to admit.

Anyway. Leading their way towards the castle, Severus glanced around. Nothing had changed as far as he could tell. Hagrid's hut was where it had always been, as were the greenhouses and the Quidditch pitch. The last thing made him shake his head in exasperation. Oh, the twins would _love_ it there. Despite Severus's fea -- er, _dislike_ of heights, and Remus's complete disinterest in flying, their daughters were nuts on flying and Quidditch. They were pretty good at it, too, at least by Severus's mind -- and anybody with sense in their heads would agree with him wholeheartedly or else.

The onyx eyes caught a glimpse of the Whomping Willow, and he shivered. Well, at least _that_ wouldn't be needed anymore, thanks to the potion he had developed recently.

The twins had seemingly decided not to enter the castle alone, as they soon ran back to meet the rest of their family. "Hurry up, Papa, Father, and Jeremy!" one of them demanded.

At this, Severus raised an eyebrow. "We are in no hurry," he said. "But if you so wish, please, by all means, do run ahead. Don't bother to wait for us, we will follow eventually."

Now, the girls exchanged a quick glance. Then they shouted in delight and again started to run towards the castle. Severus watched them go, shaking his head.

When the three eldest Snapes finally got inside, they already heard voices through the open doorway of the Great Hall. "Look at the ceiling, Marié!" shouted one voice, and an identical one answered, "No, look at the staff! They're all ancient!" Girly giggles followed this announcement.

Although this was undeniably amusing, Severus couldn't approve his daughters' topic of discussion. Therefore, he soon walked into the Great Hall. The sight that met him was certainly unique.

The twins were running around the Hall, seemingly managing to be in at least four places at the same time. Every now and then one of them would point at something and shout to the other, to which the other twin would reply with a shout of her own. In the middle of this sat the Hogwarts staff, stunned.

"Now, that's enough, girls," Severus said sharply, easily making his voice carry over the whole Hall. He wasn't a teacher for nothing, after all. "Marié and Celesté, here, _now_."

It looked like they had materialized out of thin air beside him. Giving them the last stern glance, Severus then turned towards the staff. "Long time no see, I'd say," he said with a smirk.

For a moment they all just gaped at him, most probably having a hard time trying to recognize him. With his clean hair, fixed nose, tanned skin, and blue robes he looked admittedly very little like his former self. The years in Canada with his family had truly done him a lot of good.

Filius was the first one to recover -- unsurprising, seeing that he was the one who'd seen him last, four years earlier while visiting his little goddaughters. "Severus!" the tiny wizard exclaimed. "It's you! So you came after all. Merlin, are these the little twins?" he asked then, eyeing the girls.

Nodding in response, Severus pushed the girls forward. "Yes, they are," he admitted. "Not so little anymore, as you can see. However, I think they have something to tell you."

Marié and Celesté glanced at each other. Then they exclaimed in unison, "Thank you _so_ much for the broomsticks you sent us, godpapa Filius!" The tiny wizard started to beam at this.

Now, Cleopatra Sinistra seemed to regain her senses. "Severus? Severus _Snape_?" she asked disbelievingly. "No way. You look like a human, and you have human children. You _can't_ be Snape!"

"Well, sorry to disappoint you, Cleopatra," Severus said, smirking, "but yes, I indeed am Severus Snape. These are my daughters, Marié and Celesté. And these," he said as two more people finally entered the Hall, "are my husband Remus and our son Jeremy. Oh, and pleasant to meet you, too," he added.

For a moment, everybody just stared at him. Then, Victoria fainted, and the others still stared.

Severus rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. "Well, that went well," he said sarcastically.

* * *

Later that night, Severus lay awake. Remus was sound asleep in his arms, the golden and grey hair spread over his chest, where the werewolf's head was resting. Despite his husband's calming presence and the vague familiarity of his old quarters, however, Severus was unable to sleep. 

He was relieved to see how well the children had taken to the move. Well, of course Jeremy missed Mark, but he would meet a lot more children of his age in Hogwarts. As for the girls, well, they hardly would miss anybody overly much, having been the only ones younger than Jeremy and Mark in Maltedaux.

Severus still couldn't help but remember what Jeremy had been like when they had first moved to Canada. The boy had been afraid of about everything and everybody but Remus...

* * *

"Good evening," said a man who seemed only a couple of years older than Severus and Remus. "I am Billy Grocer, the Charms Professor. Headmistress Merce asked me to welcome you to Maltedaux; she will be here shortly herself." He eyed curiously the two men in front of him. 

"Good evening, Mr Grocer. I am Severus Snape, the new Potions Master, like you are probably aware already. This is my husband, Remus Snape." He nodded towards Remus, who smiled pleasantly in greeting.

"Pleasant to meet you, too. Please, call me simply Billy." Then he added, "I was told that you have a son of about four years. Is that true? I have a son of that age myself, and he certainly wouldn't mind company."

Now, Remus sighed. "Yes, we do have a son," he admitted. "However, I'm afraid that Jeremy is rather shy." With this, he turned around and picked up the tiny boy who had been hiding behind him until then. Holding the boy in his arms, he said gently, "Do greet Billy, Jeremy dear."

The boy glanced cautiously at this new acquittance. "Hi," he muttered, then quickly hid his face in Remus's robes. Yes, definitely a shy one, he was.

Billy seemed a bit startled at how awfully shy and thin the child was. However, he soon got over his shock. "Hi, Jeremy," he said with a friendly voice. "Do you like it here in Maltedaux?"

Jeremy shook his head franticly, not taking his face away from his carrier's chest.

'_Shy... or afraid_.' At that thought, Severus shuddered. He would certainly do everything in his might to make Jeremy forget his fears and become just a normal four-year-old boy.

* * *

"Miss Smith, please refrain from passing notes in the class," snapped a cold voice. The addressed teen flinched and shrank back in her chair under the glare of the onyx eyes. After only a week, the students of Maltedaux had already noticed that their new Potions Master was not only a true master of his subject but also a cold and frightening man. The only ones he had ever been seen being more than forcedly civil to were his husband and son, whom all the students pitied. Well, they were rarely seen together in public anyway. 

Just as Professor Snape was about to continue his lecture, the door was pushed open. "Father?" asked a very quiet, timid voice from the doorway, and a little boy peered in, his golden hair in a mess.

Some of the students had to bit their tongues so as not to shout at the boy and tell him to go away. Thanks to the sickly and thin appearance of both Remus and Jeremy Snape, and especially the little boy's overly shy and fearful behaviour, rumours were running wild, stating that Professor Snape abused and neglected his family. Jeremy was such a sweet little child, nobody wanted him to face his father's wrath.

However, they were amazed at the change that now happened in their Potions Professor. The usually so stern expression immediately melted into a gentle smile, and the long arms were extended towards the child as the man turned to face him. "Do come here, Jeremy," he said, sounding more friendly than any of his students could have even imagined he could. The boy glanced at the students, then quickly ran to his father's arms, climbing into his lap and hiding his tiny face into the black robes.

Now, Professor Snape wrapped an arm around the shivering boy, hugging him gently against his chest. The students stared at the scene, dumbfounded. This man was certainly not a child abuser.

After a moment of silence, during which the professor whispered something to his fearful little son, he again glanced at the class. "Continue with your work," he said softly so as not to startle the child.

So, the students continued working with their potions, every now and then stealing a glance at the professor. He was now talking to little Jeremy with a low voice, every now and then pointing at something, never minding that the boy didn't dare to take his face away from his robes for a time long enough to see anything. After some time, Jeremy relaxed enough to start looking around. Especially much he paid attention whenever his father said, "Too much Venderroot, Miss Jameson," or, "Add a few beetle eyes, Mr Kaye," or something else concerning the potion they were brewing. It was like he was absorbing all the knowledge into himself and filing it away for further use. A perfect albeit shy mini-Snape.

About halfway through the lesson, the door was pushed open again. This time, the last Snape looked in. "Oh, so there you are, Jeremy!" he said, sounding relieved. "I'm sorry, Severus, I really didn't mean to let him disturb your class. One of the ghosts scared him and he ran off. I looked everywhere, but I never expected that he might come here in the middle of the class!"

"It's quite okay," Professor Snape said, and smiled. Smiled! Nobody had ever seen him smile! "He hasn't disturbed the lesson one bit, as I was already done with the teaching part when came in."

"Well, that's good." Mr Snape smiled. "Will you come with me, then, Jeremy? Or do you want to stay?"

Now, the tiny boy looked at his father as if to ask for permission. When Professor Snape just nodded calmly, he turned towards his carrier. "...I want to stay," he muttered.

"Well, if that's okay with your father..." The thin brunet man smiled warmly at his husband and son. "I will pick him up later, then, if you truly can look after him, Severus."

"There is no hurry with that, love," replied the professor levelly. "I can handle him very well."

The students were now even more bewildered. True, Professor Snape was never openly hostile towards his husband -- a facade, like most claimed -- but this was something else entirely. What was wrong?

Suddenly, their work and pondering were interrupted by a child's clear voice. "Too much powdered Morrow," Jeremy said, and pointed towards one student. "Was I right, Father?" he then asked eagerly, looking up at the darkhaired man, his equally black eyes shining.

The professor took one glance at the girl Jeremy had pointed at, noticing that the amount of Morrow she'd been going to add to her potion was truly too large. "Yes, you were absolutely correct, Jeremy," he said levelly. "That was well done indeed, little one. I am very proud of you."

Now, the little child beamed, looking far less fearful than before. The students, however, now had to concentrate about as much on not fainting as on their potions.

* * *

Little by little, step by step, Severus and Remus had managed to coax Jeremy out of his shell. And, at the same time, Jeremy had coaxed Severus out of his own shell. Having formerly been very cold and reserved whenever he was under the public eye, the Potions Master couldn't help but melt whenever he saw his little son, no matter where it was. As Jeremy soon took on a habit to sneak into the Potions lessons because of his great interest in the subject, more and more students saw this softer side of him. And, finally, Severus couldn't help but be warm and friendly in almost every situation. It was all Jeremy's fault, and partly Remus's. He blamed those two for this end of a perfectly good -- or rather bad -- reputation. 

Anyway. Now Jeremy was eleven, and the twins were six, and they were back at Hogwarts. Soon enough, Jeremy would be Sorted, and the school year would begin. Severus knew that he couldn't gain back his former reputation. Never mind that his healthy appearance wouldn't have gone along well with his image of a 'greasy git,' the twins would have never let him. They never had been interested enough to interrupt his classes, but they certainly enjoyed hugging him in random places, usually in public, just to see how he would react. Between them and Remus, how could he ever be as frightening and cool as before?

Well, he certainly didn't mourn the loss of his former reputation. After all, that only meant that he was free now -- free of his Death Eater image, free of his spying, free of everything. _Nobody_ would believe that he had ever meddled with Dark Arts. Most probably nobody would even connect him to the old Snape. Even the youngest students he had taught had now left the school, and his former self was but a scary tale.

With this in mind, he wrapped his arms gently around Remus's sleeping form. Then he sighed happily, placed a light kiss on the werewolf's rapidly greying hair, and closed his eyes.

Within mere moments, he was asleep.

* * *

"Snallow, Athene!" Severus called out. From the Staff Table he felt Remus's and the twins' eyes at his back. Well, he couldn't blame them for being anxious. He could hardly wait himself. So, he was rather impatient as he waited for Athene Snallow to come and sit on the tiny stool. 

After the small, pudgy girl had been Sorted into Hufflepuff, he finally got to the point on the list he had been waiting for. "Snape, Jeremy!" he said, and saw Jeremy immediately hurrying forward.

While little Jeremy, like he'd first seen his son all those years ago, would have easily fit inside the Sorting Hat, now the Hat only covered his son's head. After what couldn't have been more than half a minute but felt like hours, the Hat finally opened its mouth and shouted, "RAVENCLAW!"

It was all Severus could do not to join the applauding as he saw his son walking to his new House table. The twins cheered loudly, gaining everyone's attention for a moment, but then -- probably at Remus's scolding -- they fell silent. Ravenclaw was truly where Jeremy belonged. Ever since that first Potions class, the boy had been curious about everything and anything. And everything he found out, he remembered.

In the Ravenclaw table a girl with bushy hair and rather large front teeth immediately said something to Jeremy. Granger, Severus recalled, and filed that name away until further notice. If she did befriend his son, he would have to remember her. Better start early.

There were still a few names on the list, and he read them all, one by one. Finally, after "Zabini, Blaise" had been Sorted into Slytherin, he could put away the Sorting Hat and go to meet his family.

Minerva stood up and started her beginning-of-the-year speech, to which Severus only listened with half an ear. The rest of his attention was directed half at the twins, who were discussing something very quietly, half at Remus, who was just sitting there beside him, looking quite happy with himself and the world.

Under the table, Severus sneaked his hand further to grasp Remus's. Then he squeezed his husband's hand gently, receiving a warm smile and a similar squeeze in response. Their gazes simultaneously flickered towards a certain golden head in the Ravenclaw table, then at the twins. Then, they shared a smile.

Yes. Everything was indeed well and good in the world, for now, and, hopefully, forever. Who knew?

They certainly hoped.

* * *

THE END

* * *

A/N: Thank you for reading the story. I hope you'll tell me how you liked it if you liked it, and I also hope that you'll find some other stories of mine equally satisfying to your reading interests.  



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